Many new quarantine-themed songs have come with a message of resilience or hope for better days, but Cody Jinks has taken a very different tack with his new tune “Watch the World Die.” The brooding number is the Texas singer-songwriter’s first release since he put out the pair of albums The Wanting and After the Fire in 2019.

Built off a slow, minor-key groove that eventually begins to take on some nü-metal heft, “Watch the World Die” sees the impending apocalypse and offers only a couple of raised middle fingers. “The final chapter’s near the end so one more time we’ll tear that curtain,” he sings, as if he’s simply clocking in to do his duty before everything’s wiped out. His solution is to make love while the clock runs out. “In the morning if it’s just the two of us, we know we’ve done it right,” he sings, which is about as close to hope as the song gets.

“Watch the World Die” follows the prolific Jinks’ dual album projects in fall of 2019. His album After the Fire was released on October 11th and contained the single “Ain’t a Train.” The Wanting followed one week later on October 18th and featured an appearance by Tennessee Jet on the title track.